


Belief is a Most Dangerous Power

by MonstrousDayDream



Category: Labyrinth (1986), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: And Regina will get a taste of her own mirror spying, Attempt at Humor, Emma will believe Henry, WIP, characters to be listed as they show up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-06-05 17:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6715342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonstrousDayDream/pseuds/MonstrousDayDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah Williams takes in a disgruntle, moody, sixteen-year-old Emma Swan. Sarah has a feeling this isn’t going to be her usual last-chance teenager. Her friends in the Labyrinth agree, much to the surprise of those who think they have it all under control.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't gonna be a point A to point B plot story for the most part. Here there be scenes and moments as affected by random goblins, random magic, and random bouts of chivalry by Sir Didymus.

Sarah parked the car and pulled a gift card from her pocket. She handed it to the slouched, sullen teenager in the passenger seat. “There’s three hundred dollars on that. You have one hour to buy yourself essentials, a week’s worth of clothing, and maybe some snack food depending on how you budget. Or you could do whatever you want and make an attempt at running off. The choice is yours.”

Emma gave her a confused look, the gift card in her hand.

“You’re sixteen. Two years to go before you age out of the system and have to fend for yourself. You can either let me get you as prepared as possible, or I can send you back to the group home in the back of a squad car. Your pick.”

“What do you mean, as prepared as possible?”

Sarah was pleased, but didn’t let it show. “Cooking cheap meals, keeping a checkbook balanced, how to take care of a car. Why some clothes should be separated before washing and why some of it doesn’t matter. How to apply and get a job, rent a house, get into college if you want. Everything you aren’t going to learn in a group home, high school, or juvie.”

“And what do you get out of it?” Ah, so much suspicion. It made Sarah’s chest ache a little, even it if was understandable. 

But she grinned a little. “Someone doing my laundry, checking my oil, and cooking dinner.” Her grin grew at Emma’s snort. Good, she was aiming for some kind of amusement. But Sarah grew serious and shifted to face Emma a bit more. “I was one of the lucky kids with decent parents and a good home. I have no idea what you’ve been through, if your life’s been good or bad. But I do know I want to share the stability I knew.” She winked. “Without the diaper changing and two a.m. feedings.”

Emma gave her a look. “I’m incontinent and I have tapeworm.”

Sarah laughed. “C’mon. Let’s see if we can’t get some Depends on sale.”

Emma was smiling just a little as they walked into the store. Sarah considered that a point in her favor.  
~  
Emma thought Sarah was the weirdest, best foster parent ever. Sarah didn’t mother her, didn’t talk down to her, and didn’t treat Emma like a ten year old. But there were hugs, the explanations were as simple or as detailed as Emma needed, and Sarah didn’t expect Emma to know everything. The rules of the house were simple, the expectations of Emma short and to the point. Sarah wanted Emma to succeed, but no way in hell was Sarah doing the work. Sarah walked her through something, made sure Emma got it, and then expected Emma to be able to do it. Emma was allowed to ask question if she forget or was unsure, and Sarah explained and reminded without sounding as if she thought Emma was an idiot.

There were rough spots. Sarah didn’t know Emma’s sore points, and vice versa. Sometimes they were careful, other times tempers flared and they jabbed harshly into a wound. Doors slammed. But it was never the front door. Sarah paced the backyard time to time, cooling off. Emma sat on her bed and hugged the backpack she had ready for a quick escape and fumed. But neither of them left the property. And they came back to each other to apologize and talk it out.

It was weird, awesome, and it worked. Emma did not want to fuck it up, even while she waited for Sarah to want something horrible out of her. Every instinct told Emma there was no need to fear molestation, but Sarah’s mind was very Slytherin and Emma wondered what payment would be asked for the knowledge, the clean house, the three filling meals.

So even as they went into their third month of a rather even keel relationship, Emma held her breath and waited for the other shoe to drop.

It wasn’t a shoe that dropped.

It was a small, furry, not-quite-a-Gremlin looking thing. From the top of the linen closet. Emma screamed. Sarah came running. Words Emma never expected came from Sarah’s mouth.

“Damn it, Wek.” Sarah picked up the creature, put an arm around Emma, and took them both to the living room. “Remember how you asked me what was in it for me? Well, I need you to keep a secret. And I need you to believe.”


	2. Chapter 2

Emma spent her third month in Sarah’s house learning how to accept goblins, gentle giants, and tiny dogs riding big dogs as horses. The tiny goblins weren’t so bad, though if Emma left her shinier, more colorful hair ties and pens out, she had to move the couch to get them back. Ludo gave the best hugs ever. She got into insult matches with Hoggle, which sometimes got them scolded by Sarah because Emma shouldn’t be learning Fae swears, apparently. 

The best thing about the goblins was she didn’t have to worry about being the new girl at school anymore. Though they stayed out of sight, anyone who tried to bully or pick on her ended up with horrible pranks done to them. Trash in their lockers, shoelaces tangled, and a truly inspired squished mess of Twinkies and pickles in a backpack once. No one was ever able to figure out Emma was the reason those things happened, but having a larger group laugh with her instead of at her toned down the bullies in general. 

Really, the most confusing thing about any of it was the unnamed “He” rarely referred to. Hoggle always referred to some man wish disgust, Sir Didymus called him “The King,” and Sarah threatened to send the small fuzz balls back to “Him” if they didn’t behave. Emma knew they were talking about the Goblin King, whom she knew of when Sarah explained the everything. But he was never named. 

“Why don’t any of you say his name?” Emma asked during a game night when he was brought up again.

“Because, my Lady,” Didymus said, “it would call his attention to this house. And while that is not a worry, he can be, shall we say, overwhelming.”

Sarah rolled the dice and moved her piece. “He knows you’re here, he knows his goblins are here, and he sometimes pays attention to what we’re up to. But he does understand that all of this,” she motioned to Hoggle, Didymus, and the goblins playing a game of Godzilla with Legos, “can take some getting used so. Saying his name, with knowledge of who he is, will tell him he’s allowed to appear to see why we’re talking about him.”

“Preens worst than a cat and a peacock combined,” Hoggle muttered. He cursed when his piece landed one of Emma’s built up properties.

“Pay up,” Emma demanded, holding out her hand. “So you’re, like, hoping I’m crazy enough to handle him before letting him in the house?”

“Hold yer horses, kid!” Hoggle snarled as he counted the money out.

“Essentially,” Didymus said.

Emma nodded. “Okay. Cool. Thanks. Way better than pushing me in front of a car to prove I have magic.”

Everyone froze and focused on her. Even the goblins, who understood the words, “I have magic” like it was a warning and a tease.

Emma looked at them, confused. “What?” She focused on Sarah. “I thought that was why you really picked me, after Wek fell on me. That’s why Ingrid wanted to adopt me, cause she said I had some kind of potential for magic.”

Sarah slowly shook her head. “No, I meant what I said in the car, Emma.”

“Sooo you honestly expect normal, random teenagers to accept goblins and magic?” That was more confusing, and less believable, than Sarah thinking she had magic.

“Eh, doesn’t always work out that way,” Hoggle admitted as he traded Didymus cash for houses. For some reason, Didymus was the most acceptable banker with any game.

“A few refused to believe,” Sarah said, “and couldn’t see any of these guys no matter what.” She smiled a little at Emma. “There has to be a bit of hope still left in someone’s heart to believe in fairy tales.”

Emma blushed and shrugged. She usually hated to admit that she sometimes wanted something like this, a safe home and people who cared about her. She wanted everyone else to think she could take care of herself. She’d been doing it for so long now… 

Sarah circled the dice in her hand until Hoggle pointedly looked at what she was doing. She put the dice down and took a deep breath. “Someone believed you have magic. I can’t ignore that, Emma. So… I hope you’re crazy enough.”

Emma gulped but nodded. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but Sarah was moving to sit next to her and Didymus moved to her other side. Support or restraint, she wasn’t sure, until Sarah took her hand and squeezed. 

Hoggle threw himself into an armchair and huffed. “Alright, Jareth, you sorry excuse for a-“

“Do continue,” a smooth voice said out of nowhere, “It has been a while since you’ve been bogged.”

Emma’s first thought was his hair had missed a few calls from the Eighties. But then his mismatched eyes caught her attention, which narrowed like a cat’s when they locked.

“My, my, dear Sarah, what have you gotten yourself into this time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know Ingrid was Sarah Fisher in the non-magical world, but that would just be confusing. So she's Ingrid in both worlds. Deal with it.


	3. Chapter 3

Didymus shifted, causing Emma to break eye contact and take in the rest of the Goblin King that was slowly approaching. He looked a little medieval, but also something very fairy tale, yet practical. 

“Jareth, this is Emma Swan,” Sarah said, standing but not releasing Emma’s hand. “Emma, the Goblin King, Jareth.”

“A delight to meet you,” Jareth said, leaning down to look her in the eye again. “What did you say that has me here before you’ve have three months with my people?”

Emma really wished she could look away, but not because she was scared. He was doing something, she had no idea what, but he was doing SOMETHING. “I said this was a better way of getting me used to magic instead of pushing me in front of a car to prove I had it.”

He stood straight and went to another armchair. A few of the goblins gathered around his legs as he reclined like Emma imagined a king would. “Life or death can bring out magic, but not properly.” He looked at Sarah. “All’s well.” When Sarah sat, Jareth focused on Emma again. “First, will you learn, or will you refuse?”

“Will anything bad happen if I refuse?”

“It won’t erupt out of you, no, and none will come for your power. I think. You are not of this world, nor mine, and I do not know what your magic tastes of. It is weak, dulled by this land of science. But it can be coaxed, and if you were ever to return to where you were born, it would be easier to control.”

It was too much for Emma to take in. Magic was one thing, magic was common a story as the Moon landing. But Jareth was was talking about her being from another world. He had no reason to lie or lead her on, and no one who knew him was calling bullshit. But her not being born here was even more ridiculous than magic!

“Breathe, Emma.”

She took in a deep breath and refocused on Jareth. “What do you mean, I’m not from this world?”

“I mean exactly as I say. You don’t not taste of the fading magic here Above, nor do you have the feel of the Underground, or the fae as I know it. And I do know the fae.”

“But how many worlds can there be?!”

He smirked. “How wide is your imagination?”

Sarah squeezed Emma’s hand. “Let’s focus on the magic for now. Do you want to learn?”

“Do I have to answer right now?” Emma asked.

“No. Take a few days to think about it, write down a few more questions that are flying through your head.”

“I will tell you this,” Jareth said as he stood. “The magic you hold is pure and Good. It isn’t the chaos of Goblins nor anything remotely evil.”

Emma nodded. “Thank you.”

Jareth left. Emma retreated to her room. Wek was the only one allowed to stay with her, and she cuddled him in her lap. Her ever ready backpack was beside her. The last five minutes had been insane. She could run. It would be easy. Maybe. The Goblins might follow her. But there was no reason for her to do magic, and if she stopped believing in them, the Goblins would go away. But… 

This could be something amazing. This could bring her one step closer to finding her parents. She’d been a baby when she was found. Someone must have done something to her for her to end up in this world. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way back.

She put her backpack under the bed again. 

~*~

Emma learned magic. It wasn’t easy. This world and her magic weren’t as compatible as the Underground’s was with the world Above. But she could do simple things, small things, and she could get a feel for what was within her. Sarah took her Underground and it was easier to use magic, but it was also harder to control in the Labyrinth due to its chaotic nature. 

Emma hadn't expected Sarah to add the magic on as another thing to learn. She thought the lessons would be a treat, only given when Emma had accomplished something or hadn’t fucked up something else. But after her homework, they practiced for an hour if Emma was up for it. Magic became another part of living with Sarah, along with cooking and laundry. Except it was a lot more fun and no where near being a chore. 

Jareth took a literal pinch of her magic to help locate the world she was from. He told her it would take time, perhaps years. There were many worlds, and he would trust no one to help him in this, least they look too closely at Emma. Since he also had a Labyrinth to run and boarders to keep an eye on, he could spare little time for searching through countless realms. Emma thanked him all the same. Something was better than nothing, after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma met Neal, who was older, but he was nice and just fast and loose enough to be tempting without risking a police record. Sarah didn’t stop her, just warned her to use her head. Emma always figured that there was someone waiting in the shadows to steal her away from the thief, to keep her safe if he ever did get caught. 

Her junior year of high school passed in a blur of magic lessons, homework, a bit of thievery, and some kind of shy hope that maybe, this time, things would work out.

Things didn’t work out. Things got worse.

Every once in a while, someone challenged Jareth and his power over the Labyrinth. This included challenging Sarah, who’s “Kingdom as great” bordered his. Hers was a smaller piece of land, but it was allied with his all the same. And while there were Rules, Emma had been to the Labyrinth, had eaten its food, and called its people her friends and allies. There wasn’t supposed to be any action taken Above. But some Fae courts thought themselves above the Rules.

Neal did not take well to having armor and sword rush him. He took even less well Emma’s magic. She wasn’t all that strong, could barely deflect the Fae knight before Didymus and Ludo arrived. But the knight and her friends were too much for him.

“I don’t deal with magic,” he told her, even as he hugged her after the knight was chased back Under. “Magic took away things I will never get back.”

He walked away. He walked away and didn’t look back. Emma let Ludo bring her home, let Didymus explain to Sarah, and let anger rage against the one hope for finding her parents. Magic was supposed to help her. It was supposed to make things better. Instead…. She didn’t love Neal, she knew that. She liked his attentions and he was fun, for all he was a warning against where she’d been headed before Sarah. He had cared about her alone. It’d been nice, to have that focus.

It was a month later when Emma learned she was pregnant. Sarah had only sighed, before giving Emma a handful of options to think over. Jareth warned against getting rid of the baby entirely; Emma’s magic was already bound to the idea of life within her. An abortion was possible, but it would damage her magical core and hurt on a metaphysical level until her magic recovered.

Hoggle and Didymus offered to hunt down Neal and bring him back. Emma declined. Neal would not appreciate having a baby bound to him when he couldn’t even handle a Fae knight and some magic. Emma wasn’t even sure she wanted the baby, a reminder of the man who walked away when things got serious, when things were no longer fun and easy.

Senior year wasn’t easy while pregnant. There were whispers, and the Goblins grew cruel in their defense of her. Emma figured the threat of war also boiled their blood. It didn’t really matter, half the school suffered until the baby was born. Still, no one suspected her. It was part due to the damage being far too wide spread, and part due to so few who Believed. 

Emma tried. She tried to care for her baby, to want him and love him. But the threat from Underground grew too large. When their house burned in a rapid magical fire, Emma knew he wasn’t safe with her. Until Jareth and Sarah dealt with the Fae, her baby would never be safe with her.

Barely a month old, and she had Jareth shut down her magic and her baby’s. As Mundane as possible, she set her baby up for adoption. She made sure he would never be able to find his way back to her. She made sure no one would be able to use his magic. 

Still unnamed because she couldn’t settle, and he was out of her life, out of her reach. Safe. She didn’t pray or wish him a safe home, a happy home. She had no idea who listened to the pleas of young mothers, just as she had no clue there were goblins who listened for children unwanted.

Emma never did get up the nerve to ask Jareth if she’d been wished away. She didn’t think he’d remember. And maybe she was too scared to know. 

~*~

Eventually, the threat against the Labyrinth was turned away. Eventually, Emma opened herself to magic again. Eventually, Emma left the security of Sarah’s home.

But there was always Wek, and Ludo liked to visit at least once a week. There were other goblins, too, as Emma figured out what the hell she was doing with herself. Her magic was as strong and as stable as it would get Above, in a land not her own. She stopped asking Jareth about the search for her parents. She had cobbled together a family in Sarah and those of the Labyrinth. It was enough, it would have to be enough.

But Jareth had warned her once. Those with magic never lived a quiet life. Calm at times, not always threatening or tragic. But magic was meant for greater things. He was not one who could see the future, nor would he allow her into the Sight of one who could. But he knew meeting Sarah was only the beginning for Emma.

“None of Sarah’s other teenagers bonded so well with one of my Goblins,” he said when he thought she was too drunk on her twenty-first birthday to remember his words. “There is a reason they remind you to Believe.” He had smirked then, far too pleased. “I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you.”

It would take years for Fate to tug her back on Destiny’s path again. It wouldn’t be until a late night, small twenty-eighth birthday party. Jareth never remembered birthdays on time, and she had already video chatted with Sarah earlier in the day.

There were three cupcakes on the counter; one for Wek, one for Ludo, and her own with a candle in it. There had been others throughout the day, visiting for one of the cupcakes she had made as usual. But she had wanted to get the job done before celebrating.

Emma made her wish silently, quietly, with her magic turned down. It wouldn’t do for Wek or Ludo to get a whiff of it. Once the candle was out, Wek and Ludo pounced on their cupcakes.

Then the doorbell rang.

Emma frowned and headed for the door, barely noting her friends slipping into the shadows and back through a mirror. She looked down at the kid, utterly confused. “Uh, can I help you?”

“Are you Emma Swan?”

“Yeah. Who are you?”

The boy smiled. “I’m Henry. I’m your son.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Do I have to worry about you, Miss Swan?”

“No, and maybe I can help you.”

“I assure you, I don’t need your help.”

Emma shrugged. “Probably not. But the kid managed to get this far.” She sipped her cider. “Look, I’m not planning on taking him away, if that’s what you think. I don’t have a life that allows for a kid. But he thinks because I’m his birth mother, I’m the better mother. I can help show him just how good he has it here with you.”

“Forgive me for being skeptical.”

Emma nodded once. “I gave him up to keep him safe. I haven’t seen much at all, but he’s not bone thin, he’s not afraid of you, and he’s smart enough to figure out how to find someone with closed records and catch a bus. I hoped he would get half of this. Seeing that he has so much more? He has the better life with you.” 

Emma liked to think herself good at reading people. The look Regina was giving her was almost undecipherable; there was surprise, a bit of pride, but also something Emma couldn’t place. 

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt more than running away to Boston already has,” Regina said. “But we can discuss it tomorrow.”

Emma nodded and put her cider down. “Is this town big enough to have any kind of place to spend the night?”

“An inn behind a dinner on the main street.” Regina’s directions were precise as she led Emma to the front door. “Four thirty at my office tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there.”

Emma didn’t notice the book in her front seat until she was parked along the main street. She shook her head and brought it in with her. Maybe she’d show Regina the book tomorrow, show her what was going on in Henry’s head. The kid was smart if he could find her, but he was just a kid. Fairytales were something every kid wanted to believe. 

Once in her room for the next few days, Emma called Sarah. As smart as the kid was, he -shouldn’t- have been able to find her at all. If someone or something could get through Jareth’s magic, Sarah needed a head’s up.

“Emma, where in the nine hells are you?” Sarah was beyond panicked.

Emma sat up from her sprawl on the bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Wek came crashing through a mirror rambling about you disappearing. No one can get to you.” 

Emma stood in front of the bathroom mirror and pressed her hand against the glass, calling for- “My magic’s gone.”

“Leave. Now.”

“I can’t.”

“Who has you? Where were you supposed to be headed?”

“No, nothing like that.” Emma opened the locket around her neck and focused on the tiny mirror. Nothing. “I was calling because my son showed up at my door. I wanted to ask if it’s possible someone could mess with His Floof-ness’ magic.”

Sarah’s voice was as gentle as could be. “Are you sure it’s him?”

Emma had felt the connection she had tried to forget, renewed after so long. “Yes. I’ve tried so hard to forget the bond we had, but when I opened my door… It was like he was never gone, Sarah.”

“Okay.” The woman on the other end of the line took a deep breath. “What are the circumstances?”

Emma laid out what had happened since she blew out the candle on her cupcake. “But that can’t be true, can it? I mean, my magic would work if I was supposed to be this Savior.”

“This is a world of science, but not even Ludo can get to you.” Ludo was older than the Labyrinth itself, one of the few beasts to move into the maze, rather than be created by it’s magic. “There might be some kind of truth to this curse, but the fact someone can be so powerful as to stop Jareth is absolutely terrifying.”

“Not helping my willingness to stick around.”

“You must.”

“You do realize ten minutes ago you were telling me to get the hell outta Dodge?”

“Your son is trapped in a place where even a magic that is allowed Above can’t enter. And, Emma, you aren’t from Above or Under.”

Emma sighed and slid down the a wall to the floor. “I -hate- coincidences.”

“There are no coincidences, and parallel lines always meet.”

Emma snorted. “I’ll check in every other night. If I don’t, assume I’ve been hit with that amnesia the kid says everyone but Regina has.”

“We’ll keep trying to get in from this side. Be careful, Emma.”

Emma hung up at sighed. Jareth had once said she had magic for a reason. She’d have to rub it in later, that he couldn’t be around to see why. She stood and caught sight of the book. Maybe she wouldn’t show Regina the book just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were 11 hour work days during two weeks of no days off, a week long vacation, and now it's the middle of a ten day work week. Maybe I'm back. -shrug-


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating this fic ‘cause it seems to be one most people are interested in and because I don’t have any real ideas for the other two. My absence has been due to 80 hour work weeks, Pokemon Go, and a complete inability to create due to stress and exhaustion.

“I’d like to start by apologizing, Miss Swan,” the mayor said as they sat in her office. “I realize I was rude and abrupt with you last night.”

“You were stressed out about your kid missing, and I’m sure having me show up didn’t help. Apology accepted, even if I didn’t take it personally last night.”

Regina nodded once. She still didn’t particularly like the idea of the woman being here, but she could make the situation work to her advantage. “While I appreciate your willingness to help, I can’t help but worry Henry will become attached and subsequently disappointed when you leave.”

“I plan on making it very clear to him that while I did have him, you are the one who raised him and you are his mother, not me. He’ll know that I’ll be leaving in a week or so. But, if things work out and he settles down again, would it be possible for us to keep in contact?”

Regina frowned a little. “If things work out. I don’t want him thinking he can head to you again if he happens to disagree with the way I raise him.”

“Trust me, I don’t want that, either. He threatened to tell the cops I kidnapped him when I tried to call them to bring him back here last night.”

Regina sighed. “I’m glad he’s an intelligent child, but I don’t know how I feel about this level of cleverness. Tell me, how do you plan to convince him to stay with me?”

Emma had given it some thought in the morning, talking it over with Sarah. Most of her argument had to do with Henry being safer and better cared for with Regina. Emma had no enemies, but there was always the chance work would follow her home, or a bail jumper’s buddies would see what weaknesses she had. Her life was not set up for taking care of a kid, especially one that believed Regina was an evil queen and everyone in the town was a fairy tale character. “Selling him on how better off he is here is gonna be a lot easier than convincing him how crazy this curse idea is.”

“You think I’m crazy?”

Regina bit back her smirk with extreme effort. She couldn’t have timed Henry’s arrival better with magic.

The anger in the blonde’s eyes made Regina’s smirk break free. “You knew he would be there.”

“Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely five p.m. so I can take him to dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did.”

Emma stood and headed for the door. “I was going to help you. Now I see why he thinks you’re evil.”

Regina watched her leave. She didn’t need Henry to believe she was a good person. She just needed him to see her as the better option. Once he realized his birth mother was actually useless to him, he would send the blonde away himself.

~*~

Emma caught up to Henry as he stormed his way down the street. “Look, kid, I don’t think you’re crazy.”

“You just said I was!”

She looked around and decided they needed to get off the street. “I said the idea of the curse was crazy, not you.” She started to herd him towards the diner. “And didn’t you tell me last night the hero never believes at first?”

He really didn’t look like he enjoyed being reminded of what he said, but at least he wasn’t running off. “But you do believe me?”

“I don’t want to, because it means a lot of things neither of us are prepared for.”

That got his attention. “What do you mean?”

“What happens when this curse breaks? Sure, everyone will get their memories back, but what happens to Storybrooke? Does it disappear and everyone goes back to fairy tale land? If it does, what happens to you, kid? You were born in this world, not that one. Do you follow us just because you're my kid and you’re here, or what? Everyone’s gonna be mad at Regina either way, and maybe she was an Evil Queen, but she raised you, kid. Maybe you don’t believe she loves you, but I’ve seen abused, neglected kids. She might be mean right now, but I’m relieved you ended up with someone who isn’t beating or starving you.”

Henry was quiet the rest of the way to the diner. He wanted his food to go, saying he could eat in Archie’s office. Once they were back on the street, he sighed. “Not that we even know how to break the curse, anyway.”

“We’ll figure it out. Keep your cool with her, kid. The more you yell and run off, the more she’ll say having me around is a bad thing. We have to play this on her terms right now so she doesn’t call social services on me, okay?”

Henry nodded and they came to a stop at a small office building. “How much of the book have you read?”

“Not too much, yet.”

He opened his backpack and pulled out a roll of pages. “Here, keep these hidden. This is your part of the story that she can never know about, okay?”

She tucked the pages in her jacket. “Got it.”

He headed upstairs. Emma headed back to the inn. Now, to talk to a king about curses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any knowledge I have of bail bonds people comes from Dog the Bounty Hunter episodes, which I only watched to see if I knew anyone they went after, not because I was interested in the work of bail bonds. I took some lines from the show, but they’re good lines. Can ya blame me?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the thanks to one of the besties who reads these and adds words my fingers skip over while typing :)

Even after all this time, Emma still thought Jareth looked a little uncomfortable when it came to technology. He understood web cams well enough, but she figured since it wasn’t magic he controlled, he didn’t particularly like it. Still, he was sitting beside Sarah, leaning in to look at the painted images of Henry’s book while Emma explained what little she knew. Which wasn’t all that much, to be honest.

“I think I slowed the kid down by telling him we need to think about the consequences of breaking this curse, but he’s still gonna insist I break it. Which I don’t even know how to do.”

“An act of such evil is going to require an action of even greater good,” Jareth said, leaning back. “That said, you’re as good as dead.”

Sarah whacked Jareth on the arm and glared. He raised at eyebrow at the action, but wasn’t insulted in the least. Instead, he conjured a crystal and stared at the contents playing for only him to see. “Knight, leave and take the rabble with you.”

Didymus bowed from his position at Sarah’s shoulder and ushered the goblins and Ludo back Underground.

“I knew of Regina, when she was younger.” Jareth’s voice was casual, almost nonchalant. “She tried to wish herself away; an impossibility, for a child must be wished away with negativity by another.” 

His voice was almost too light for Emma’s tastes, and she traded a slightly worried look with Sarah. Usually the things Jareth was flippant about were the exact things to worry about.

“I couldn’t take her away, but I allowed the more curious goblins to investigate. I can’t be bothered to remember how long they accompanied her, but as most do, she stopped Believing. There was one who didn’t abandon her, as Wek is incessantly attached to your ankles.”

Emma found herself missing her constant companion. Oh, Wek was as simple minded as most goblins. He wasn’t much use or even good at conversation, but he called her “Friend” in the same way Ludo did Sarah. Emma didn’t need to be steeped in Goblin ways to know that meant something important.

“He returned to the Castle in a such a state, I had to make sure nothing followed him Underground, or was on the way.” He looked Emma in the eye. “No one gains the title of “Evil” easily, even and especially a fairy tale. For all I’ve taken children freely wished away, I am not called the “Evil” Goblin King. Regina has done far worse than I ever have or wish to do.”

Emma swallowed and leaned back against the bed’s headboard. Jareth had been to war. To know Regina had done worse, to know this was without a doubt real, was a little more than she was ready to deal with. Her son finding her was one thing; breaking the Darkest of Curses was a whole other labyrinth entirely.

“Emma?” Sarah’s kind voice brought Emma’s attention back to her phone, which she had let droop. “Should the curse break and send everyone but Henry back to the other world, we’ll find him as soon as Wek and Hark tell us they can enter the area.”

Wek refused to leave the road into the town after reporting Emma’s initial disappearance, and Hark was one of the more intelligent Goblins from Jareth’s army keeping an eye on him. Hark wore a small mirror around her neck to allow communication, and knew her standing orders to report to Jareth immediately once the magic field fell. 

“This Curse was cast with the most vile of intentions, by the worst act conceivable,” Jareth reminded her. “Nothing short of a miracle will break it.” He smirked. “Of course, you still Believe. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Not hard at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like, tell me what y'all think? Even if it's just a :) or :(  
> I'm not gonna stop writing even if there aren't any comments/kudos/hits, mostly because I think the beta will chance the Alcan to make me write more....


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life's been crazy and little desperate. I'll try not to let another two months go between chapters again, but I'm hoping to get a new job soon, so that might affect my writing...

Emma sat across from Henry on the bed in her room, the book between them. “As much as I believe you, I can’t walk away from my responsibilities or push Regina too far.”

“But you can’t leave until you break the Curse.”

“Kid, I told you I would do this, but we have to think things through.”

He glared at her. “You’re just saying that. You don’t believe me!”

Emma offered her hands to him, knowing she couldn’t grab him and force him to believe. “Do you know what will happen if I stay here? Your legal guardian calls social services. I have no right to you, and she can make sure I am never allowed to contact you again. We play by her rules, I get to visit and call you.”

“Can’t you be my mom now?” he asked, quiet but hopeful.

“I don’t have a safe or stable enough job, a custody transfer would never go through. And if you keep running away to Boston, you get separated from both of us.”

“But what if-“

“Kid. No. Regina’s been keeping a cool head at the moment, and while I’m grateful she’s raised a smart, healthy kid, there’s still the part of her that cast this curse and let it go on for almost thirty years. The Evil Queen might have calm down, but let’s not push her into action, okay?”

“Fine.” 

He still hadn’t taken her hands. Emma grabbed her phone, knowing there was only one thing that would keep him in Storybrooke and relatively well behave. She started a video chat with Sarah and didn’t have to wait long for it to connect.

Sarah saw the two of them looking into the camera and nodded once. “You need proof.”

“All of it, as much as you can give me.” Emma looked at Henry. “I need you to believe.”

He was confused but curious, and nodded as Sarah turned her laptop to face a full length mirror. She called the names of her friends in the Labyrinth. One by one, they appeared and stepped through the mirror, taking the places beside each other. Henry’s eyes grew wide, his mouth dropping. 

Didymus came up to the laptop and smiled. “It is good to see how you’ve grown, young Henry.”

“You know me?!” he squeaked.

“I knew you when you were just a babe, before you had to be sent away.”

Henry looked at his birth mother, so many questions on the tip of his tongue.

“There was a war going on.” Emma’s voice was soft, trying to hold back the tears. “I couldn’t keep you safe.”

Henry tackled her with a hug. She held him tight until he twisted to sit in her lap and leaned his back against her so he could hold the phone for them both. “Why can’t you come here?”

“That darn curse,” Hoggle grumbled, censoring himself a little. “We can’t get through the barrier.”

Henry spent the next ten minutes asking all kinds of questions of the group. Emma was a bit relieved Jareth wasn’t necessary; while kind to children, he was still the King of a Labyrinth. There was no telling what he would say to Henry to encourage him in one way or another. All too soon, however, it was time for Henry to go home and Emma to hit the road. He said goodbye to his new friends and thanked them before the screen went black.

“We’re really going to break this curse,” Henry said, looking excited instead of desperate about the outcome for the first time.

Emma nodded. “We will, I promise.”  
~*~  
Regina watched as the yellow Bug disappeared down the road with a frown. Henry seemed pleased to be in her home, and even wanted to help with dinner. They hadn’t worked together on a meal in over a year. She supposed in allowing his birth mother stay in contact improved his mood. Weekly calls and monthly visits, no need to get the courts involved unless it started to affect Henry negatively. The arrangement was agreed upon without hesitance. 

Regina decided to let the matter rest for the next few hours. Her son was home and had no plans to run off, and he was smiling at her again. There would be minimal interference from his birth mother; she hoped he would grow bored with the woman who couldn’t be a consistent presence in his life. At the moment, everything was going her way. 

She closed the door and headed for the kitchen. Her son wanted to make dinner with her. Tonight couldn’t be anything but good.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's only been one month, that's an improvement, right? 
> 
> I wanted to draw out a few adventures from the episodes, but decided I didn't want to rewrite anything that couldn't have Goblins in it.

To say Rumplestiltskin was annoyed was an understatement. Six months had passed since the supposed Savior had arrived, and she was no closer to breaking the Curse. Oh, it didn’t help when she was only around for one weekend a month, and why the Curse was letting her leave was beyond him. Once in Storybrooke, Emma Swan was supposed to be as trapped as they were. Instead, she came and went as she pleased. He needed the Curse broken before her next birthday. The consequences for not breaking the Curse in the allotted time would not be pretty.

He wasn’t sure what, exactly, would happen. After all, it wasn’t like he thought the Savior would fail so spectacularly. He doubted the Curse would just send them all back to the Enchanted Forest. Dark Magic had darker consequences. All the best to avoid it, really.

So. He needed to force the Savior into destroying the Curse. It wouldn’t be all that hard. The Darkest of Curses only required the Lightest of Magics. Easy enough.  
~*~  
Emma answered her phone, not looking at the screen as she dealt with the mess in front of her. “Hello?”

“Tell me Henry decided to run away to you again.”

Emma dropped the dishes back in the sink. “When did you last see him?”

“This morning at breakfast.” Regina’s voice was hard with anger, but Emma could hear the slightest of tremors. “He made it to school, I would’ve gotten a call if he hadn’t after last time.”

“Do you want me to wait here just in case, or look for him there?”

“I don’t think he’s left Storybrooke if he’s not with you.”

Emma headed for her her keys and jacket. “What makes you say that?”

“There was a note on the front door when I got home. I thought he had someone write it to fool me.” 

“What does it say?” She pressed her hand against the full length mirror in her bedroom, her magic calling Didymus.

“It’s nonsense, about a Savior and curses.”

Emma had to admit, Regina played her part well. “I’m heading out now.”

“And if he does arrive at your apartment?”

“I’ll have someone I trust stay here just in case. Regina, if someone’s leaving ransom notes, we don’t have time to fight about this.”

“I’m going to have a search started.”

Emma knew better than to suggest Regina do nothing. “I’ll be there soon.” She hung up and looked at Didymus and Ambrosius. “Henry’s been taken. On the very off chance he’s tricked Regina and comes here, can you stay and keep an eye out?”

“Certainly, my Lady. If my duties call me to the Labyrinth, I shall have Ludo await young Henry.”

Emma nodded; Ludo understood being quiet and unseen Above. “Can I borrow Ambrosius to track his scent if someone does him in Storybrooke?

Didymus gave his loyal steed the orders necessary to have Emma take charge of him for a few days. “Best of luck, Emma.”

She took Ambrosius down to her car and called Sarah. “Once I’m out of the city, I need to use the mirrors to get to Storybrooke. Someone’s taken Henry.”

“I’ll go to the town line and set everything up on that end. Does it have to do with the Curse?”

“Yes. Someone left a note on Regina’s door, but she’s not telling me what it says, exactly.”

“I’ll put a few of the Goblins on standby. Call me when you’re set up.”

Emma drove out of the city and found a dirt road to hide on before pulling out the bigger mirror hidden under a seat. She set it up and traced the edge with her magic, hitting the rune that represented Sarah’s magic. The mirror shifted between the handful of other mirrors controlled by the other woman before showing the empty road into Storybrooke and her foster mother. Closing her eyes, Emma touched both the mirror and her Bug.

Moving between mirrors wasn’t hard, but it had to be done carefully. If Emma’s concentration broke, she could come out of the wrong mirror, get lost between, or have to fight her way out of a too small mirror. She didn’t open her eyes until she felt Sarah’s hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll wait here in case Ambrosius can’t get through,” Sarah said as Emma folded up her segmented mirror and put it back in the car. The Queen of the Labyrinth gave Emma a round pouch. “Jareth said you might have to give this to Regina, but you aren’t to open it.”

She tucked it carefully into her jacket pocket. “Proof?” 

“Of some sort, if not the right sort.” Sarah wrapped her in a quick hug. “Be careful.”

Emma returned the embrace before slipping back into her car. She eased through the curse field, keeping an eye on Ambrosius. The dog shook himself out. “Put your paw on the window if you can still understand me.”

He did so, giving her a look that spoke volumes about her trust in magic. 

“Hey, I’m counting on you to find my kid,” Emma said as she took off towards town. “Forgive me if I wanna make sure you’re smarter than the average sheep dog.”

Once on Main Street, Emma called Regina and asked her location.

“How are you here already?”

“I’ll explain later.” Emma headed for the Sheriff’s station where Regina was waiting. The Mayor met her outside, anxious and angry, but holding one of Henry’s scarfs. 

“Who’s dog is this?” 

“A friend’s.” Emma held her hand out. “Can I see that?”

Regina reluctantly released her death grip on the scarf. Ambrosius sniffed it thoroughly before looking at Emma and nodding once. 

Regina took back the scarf with a narrowed eye look. “-What- kind of dog is this?”

“The kind that’s gonna find the kid. Let’s go, Ambrosius.”

The dog barked once before heading down the sidewalk. Emma didn’t hesitate to follow. Regina took a deep breath and fell in step with her. The Mayor had a feeling things were about to change, permanently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's to hoping I'll get the second part of this up tomorrow heheh....


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've had strep? Is that an acceptable excuse?

Ambrosius did not lead them far away or off the beaten trail at all. In fact, he led them just up the street to the boarded up Library. Emma decided to ignore the way Regina paled and knelt to pick the lock. 

“I sincerely hope you never taught Henry this particular skill,” Regina said as she looked behind them. “And I have the keys to this place in my office.

Emma shrugged. “This is faster than waiting for you to grab them and come back.”

Regina waited a moment before glaring. “Nothing to say about Henry?”

Emma smirked. “I didn’t have much to teach him.”

Regina’s mouth dropped.

Emma popped the lock open and put her picks away. “It’s a bad time to joke, I know, but it’s worth the look on your face.”

“You had better hope we find Henry here or so help me-”

Emma pushed the doors open. “You’ll keep Henry away from me? Cause that’s gonna work?”

Regina flipped on the lights and refocused her glare on the man leaning against the librarians front desk. “What are you doing here, Gold?”

“I think you know very well what I’m doing here, dearie.” He tossed a long object at Emma. “You’ll be needing that.”

She held it up and frowned. “A sword?” Yeah, Didymus taught her how to use one with Sarah’s help, but Gold wouldn’t know that…

“It’s your father’s.”

Emma looked up sharply. “What does this have to do with Henry?”

“Everything and nothing.” He nodded to a wall with a mosaic. “There’s something I need you to fetch for me. Do that, and you’ll get the boy back.”

“You can’t be serious,” Regina said.

Gold raised his pistol and aimed it at her. “Do you know what happens when prophecies aren’t fulfilled, dearie? Much less those of Dark Curses?”

Regina didn’t balk at the gun. “I’m guessing something even you can’t survive.”

“I don’t plan on finding out. Get on with it.”

Emma followed Regina to the wall, noting that Ambrosius was gone. Good. The steed wasn’t a brave one, but he was smart. He would be running for Sarah now. Regina moved the wall to reveal an ancient elevator.

“Where’s this lead?”

“To a dragon.”

Emma turned around and glared at Gold. “What do you expect to do?”

“Kill it, and what’s within her will be retrievable.”

Emma could feel Regina stiffen next to her, could almost feel the way the other woman went cold. The door to the elevator opened, but when they made a move to step inside, Gold tutted at them.

“Only the Savior needs to go down there. I don’t need you trying to make amends this late into the game.”

Regina’s hands became fists, but she stepped back and let Emma descend alone.

Emma unsheathed the sword and tested it’s balance and feel of it in her hands. Yeah, she could use it to cause some serious damage. Not that she thought she stood any kind of chance against a freaking dragon. 

Something buzzed along her skin and she reached for the minuscule bits of her magic. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t need to risk life and limb. Maybe just limb. The elevator stopped and she pushed open the grate. Stepping into the semi darkness, Emma kept the sword drawn but down. Focusing her magic, Emma raised her voice to echo in the cavern.

“Madame Dragon, I am Emma Swan of the Goblin City and Labyrinth of the Underground.”

The darkness to her right shifted and bright green eyes caught the light. The dragon that rose into the small shafts of light had seen better days, but still had a fight to her. Emma gulped and hoped the lessons that applied to the Underground applied to the Fairy Tale world she was apparently from.

“I have been sent to retrieve something from you.” Oh, look, those emergency etiquette lessons Sarah scared into her were coming in handy. 

The dragon growled low, nostrils smoking.

“I was told I would have to kill you for it to be released.”

A maw with too many teeth opened just enough to reveal a growing fire within.

“I was taught dragons are able to see reason. I don’t know what’s inside you, but I don’t want to kill you for it.”

The dragon growled, but didn’t release her fire. She moved closer, then eyed the sword as she lowered her head closer to Emma. The sword was sheathed and slung over her shoulder. It wouldn’t be of any use against a dragon, anyway. Probably. Maybe. She wasn’t entirely sure Gold expected her to succeed, but if did, he would’ve given her an effective weapon. It did matter, because the dragon was mostly trusting her. There was a wicked set of talons ready to slice her as the dragon’s head was lowered into her reach.

The scaly flaps on the side of the dragon’s head opened and flared some heat, and the massive skull shook a little. Emma saw it then; a gaudy gold thing lodged between the red hot flaps of skin. She raised her hand, but the emanating heat was too much for her without real magic.

“Is there anyway you can lower the temperature? The only other way I see of getting it out is prying with the sword.”

The dragon growled and the red hot skin cooled considerable. Emma made quick work of sticking her arm into a dragon’s head and yanking the gold egg out with a rough tug. It was hot to the touch, but not enough to sear off her skin. Still, she kicked it into the elevator, watching it steam. 

The dragon rose up to her full height. Emma yanked for what little magic she could. The dragon heaved a sigh and stepped back into the shadows. 

“After we save the kid, I’ll see about getting you out of here, okay? It’s been a while since I’ve dropped a surprise on Jareth.”

The dragon didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t attack, either. Emma closed up the elevator and headed back up the shaft. She hefted the thing that was apparently worth killing over, but couldn’t find anything all that special about it. Her skin stopped buzzing, signaling the disappearance of her magic once more.

Gold motioned for her to roll the egg over when the elevator opened once more. She held it tight and glared at him. “Where’s Henry?”

“In the clock tower.”

“Regina, go.”

The Mayor nodded once and made to move, but Gold sighed and cocked the gun. “No. You both go, or only you go, Savior.”

Emma rolled the damn egg over. Gold picked it up and left. They ran for the staircase that took them above the musty library and found their son passed out behind the clock face. 

“We need to get him to the hospital,” Emma said.

“They won’t be able to do anything for him.”

“Then what can we do for him?”

“I don’t know!”

Emma glared hard at the woman across their son’s prone form. “Drop the act! I know exactly what’s going with Storybrooke and your damn curse. The kid didn’t need to do anything to convince me his book was real. What. Breaks. The. Curse.”

Regina’s head dropped to look at Henry. “I didn’t cast it with a thought to breaking it. I have no idea.”

“Who is Gold?”

“Rumpelstiltskin.”

“He doesn’t expect us to succeed, right?”

“No, or else he wouldn’t have sent you against a dragon.”

“Then what’s the one thing we could do together that would never cross his mind?”

Regina looked up at her, down at Henry, than back at her. “True love.”

Emma’s eyes widened and she jerked back. “Whoa.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “Our love for Henry, idiot. True love’s kiss seems to be the cure all in your family.” She brushed Henry’s bangs off his forehead.

Emma bent over and kissed her son’s forehead for the first time in their lives. 

Nothing.

“No!” Regina sounded truly pained. “No, it should work!”

Emma grabbed Regina’s hand. “Together. We work together.”

Regina nodded a little desperately. She leaned in for Henry’s face and Emma picked up one of his hands. They pressed their lips to his skin.

The rainbow of light that erupted gave Emma a head rush as her magic filled her once more.

Henry’s eyes cracked open, confused, than surprised. “Mom? Emma?”

Regina near about collapsed over him, hugging him tight, before helping him sit up. Emma got an arm around him as well. 

“How’d I get up here? What’s going on?”

Regina looked up through the clock face. “Mister Gold crossed a line. I need you to listen very closely to everything Emma and I tell you to do, even if it scares you.”

“Mom?”

Emma pulled her pendent out of her shirt and opened it. “There’s no chance in hell I’m letting anything else happen to you, kid. Wek I nee-“

She didn’t even have to finish her request before the Goblin tumbled through the small mirror. The duo beside her gasped, albeit Regina in surprise and Henry in glee.

Emma picked up her friend and faced him towards Henry. “Henry, this is Wek.”

“Nice to meet you in person,” Henry said with a grin. 

“Buddy, I need you to protect Henry with everything you’ve got.”

Wek slung himself onto Henry’s backpack and pat the boy’s head. “Nothing happen to Henry-son, promise Emma-friend.”

Regina stared for a moment, before turning slowly to face Emma. “You’ve let our son have dealings with the fae?”

“Dealings? There have been absolutely no dealings. Or consuming of food. Conversation, on the other hand….”

Noise of people echoed up from the street.

Regina stood, bringing Henry up with her. “Let’s take this conversation elsewhere.”

Downstairs, Emma paused in front of the elevator. “Oh, hey, we need to figure out how to get a dragon out from an underground cavern at some point.”

Regina turned around, surprised. “You didn’t kill her?”

“I didn’t have to. I told her what was going on and she let me take the weird gold egg out of her.”

Henry’s face lit up. “You got to talk to a dragon?! Mom, can I talk to the dragon, too?”

Regina’s eyes closed briefly before hitting the switch to send the elevator back down the shaft. “If we’re very lucky, the sorceress that dragon actually won’t be mad I locked her in the basement for thirty years.”

“And if we’re not lucky?” Henry asked.

“Miss Swan, do you have any other friends you’d like to introduce to Henry?”

Emma opened her pendent. “Hey, Sarah, Ludo’s magic resistant, right?”


End file.
